From Up on Poppy Hill

Not the most enthralling Studio Ghibli animated feature, but the restrained story of a boy, a girl, and their beloved high school campus, circa 1963 in Yokohama, nevertheless creeps up on us emotionally in the best Ghibli fashion. Are Umi and Shun really related to each other, and if so, how? As long as that question remains, their budding relationship stays on hold. Meanwhile, we can enjoy the crumbling “Latin Quarter” building, home of neglectful scholars, painted with the patented Miyazaki attention to detail. Directed by Goro Miyazaki from a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, taken from a story by Tetsuro Sayama and Sayama’s comic book with Chizuru Takahashi. (91 min.)
ByKelly Vance